Konoha Special Investigations Department
by darkladywolf
Summary: AU- "You know you love me." he said smugly. "Of course I do." She smirked inwardly at his expression. "They way a snowman loves the sun." "You...are so mean." *I do not own Naruto and/or Magi*
1. Chapter 1

' _Shit-shit-shit-shit-shit! I'm gonna be late!'_

The young woman slammed the door of her car, wincing at the loud bang, but paid it no more mind as she started sprinting towards the intimidating building a few yards away from the parking lot.

"Coming through!" she shouted and evaded a couple of people, who were totally oblivious to her internal-and soon to be external-panic attack. She covered the remaining distance at record time and almost burst through the double doors of the building, swiftly checking her card and throwing a bright albeit quick greeting to Masrur, the security guard.

She flew up the stairs, throwing 'good mornings' here and there. She hit the button of the elevator and impatiently tapped het foot as she waited. The moment the door opened, she jumped inside, selecting her floor along the way and willed the machine to go faster. Or make the clock go slower, whichever was easier.

The familiar 'gling' of the elevator rang, marking her desired floor and she quickly flew out of the uncomfortably packed space as soon as the door was open. She made her way around desks and people alike, missing half of the greetings sent her way and dropped her bag on her own desk before throwing herself in her chair

"I-I made it!" she pated before realizing that one of her teammates was already there and was smirking at her in amusement. She coughed in her hand to break the awkward silence and straightened her hair and clothes before turning on her computer. For a few minutes he said nothing and the young woman dared hope that he would let the subject of her almost tardiness drop.

"Ne, pinky. What's the deal with you today? Slept in?"

Sakura groaned. She wouldn't be spared of his teasing after all. "Good morning to you too, Judal."

"Seriously now. What were you doing last night?"

"I don't think that's any of your business."

"Oh, come on, Pinky! We are a team aren't we?" The bastard had the nerve to smirk.

"Unfortunately for me, we are. Isn't it about time that you filled for a transfer to another department, Judal?" she shot back with a forced smile.

"Planning on getting rid of me so soon, Bubblegum?"

"Three years hardly counts as soon. I assure you though that I'll live, even without you around."

"You know you love me."

Sakura smiled. "Of course I do." She smirked inwardly at his expression. "The way a snowman loves the sun."

"You….." he said, pointing an accusing finger at her. "Are so mean."

"You'll survive, you overgrown baby."

"Good morning guys!" Their little dispute was interrupted by the loud arrival of the third member of their team.

Naruto walked in the office with a bounce in his step-which usually meant that he had ramen for dinner the previous night-and dropped his worn backpack on his desk before flashing Sakura a bright smile. "Good morning, Sakura-chan!"

The young woman smiled back. "Morning, Naruto."

"Hey!" complained Judal. "Why does she get a separate greeting and I don't?"

Naruto snorted. "Start wearing red lipstick and killer form-fitting pants and you might stand a chance." He winked at Sakura, though she knew that he was just fooling around with Judal. Having grown up in the same neighborhood, in houses right across from each other, Naruto was Sakura's brother in all ways but blood. After all, after that awful prank some kinds had played on her during elementary school, Naruto had taken it up on himself to protect her since she had no older siblings. He filled in the role of older brother perfectly, if you asked her.

Judal's eyes widened. "What the hell, Uzumaki? Are you gay or something?"

Naruto almost chocked on his saliva. "That's not what I meant, you freak!"

"The pot calling the kettle-"

"Quite down, probies. It's still too early for all this noise."

"Good morning, boss!" said Naruto enthusiastically before his features were overtaken by confusion. "Hey, wait. Probies? We've been working as active Field Agents for the past three years!"

"Yeah, morning Uzumaki." Sinbad dropped in the chair of his desk, throwing his head back and rubbing his temples, completely ignoring Naruto's complaints.

Sakura rolled her eyes at the picture. "Really, Sinbad? Is that how a Special Investigations team leader should look like?"

"Not in the mood for a lecture, Sakura." he answered, without even moving his head to look at her. "Got too much of a headache for that."

The young woman snorted. "How you became an active Field Agent, a team leader at that, is beyond me."

"Charmed my way into it, princess."

"Very funny, Sinbad. Very funny."

"So, Sinbad…." started Judal. "How many did you toss back last night?"

Sinbad raised a tired eyebrow. "Now, Judal, is that any way to talk to your superior?"

"Superior my ass."

"Well, unless you want your ass sitting behind a desk filling paperwork for the next two months, I suggest you zip it. Bring me a couple of painkillers while you are at it."

"Touché, boss."

"I knew you would eventually see things from my point of view." commented Sinbad, smirking at his annoyed agent.

"That's called authority abuse, you know."

"Your point, Sakura?"

The young woman stared at him for a couple of seconds before sighing and shaking her head. "You know what, never mind."

"Glad that we agree."

"Special Agent Sinbad!"

The man groaned at the sound of his name and rolled his chair around to look at the man calling him.

"Can't a team leader get some peace and quiet around here?"

"Chief Sarutobi requests your presence in his office immediately."

"If this is to give me a lecture again-"

"It's a red alert, sir."

Immediately sobering up, Sinbad shot up from his chair. "Red alert?"

"I'm afraid so."

The purple-haired man looked at his team, his previous relaxed attitude replaced by a high state of alertness. "I want all three of you in Chief's office in five. Move people!"

In practiced synchronization, all three members of the team were out of their chairs, following their team leader as he ran up the stairs to the Chief's office for their briefing. The other agents made way for them to pass, seeing the expressions on their faces. They reached the office and Sinbad didn't care to knock before entering.

"Team present and alert, Chief. What's the situation?"

The older man turned his chair around and studied the young faces of his most unique team. Naruto was impulsive and stubborn, Judal was brash and had with issues with following orders, Sakura usually overthought things and many a time allowed her feelings to do the thinking instead of her brain. As for the team leader, Sinbad was a bit irresponsible and took things too lightly. They were dysfunctional and they were the best. Each of their weaknesses was countered by their individual strengths. Where Naruto was rash, Sakura was levelheaded and sensible. Judal, with his cold calculating mind was excellent at containing the young woman's sentimentality and Sinbad had the amazing ability of keeping each one of them in line and working as an absolutely synchronized living organism.

Yes, Sarutobi Hiruzen would never truly understand the inner workings of this unique team but he wouldn't have them any other way.

"Not half an hour ago we received a distressed call for help from First Sergeant Hyuuga Hiashi. In his message, he stated that his wife and eight-year-old daughter have been kidnapped. Apparently, the kidnapper is a very capable hacker. He has taken control of First Sergeant Hyuuga's computer and is talking to him with a distorted voice while having the office under complete electronic surveillance. According to the First Sergeant, this man has requested two million dollars to be transferred to an overseas account in exchange for the lives of the wife and daughter. Should he not manage to gather the money or make any attempt at contacting anyone for help, they will be delivered to him dead."

Sinbad nodded gravely and Sakura could swear that his mind was already running a mile a minute. The young woman turned her eyes to Sarutobi only to notice that the laugh lines around his mouth had deepened even though a smile was absent from his lips.

"How did the First Sergeant manage to send the message? With the hacker in control of his computer, wasn't contacting us dangerous to his family?" asked Sakura with a frown. If the kidnapper had hacked into the computer, any messages sent or received would be open for his eyes to read. Even if sent through a different account, it wouldn't be that difficult for this guy to trace the source back to them.

"Sergeant Hyuuga sent us an encrypted message using a military-developed code that allows high-ranking officers to send out messages without compromising missions or human lives. It was designed for emergencies and ladies and gentlemen, we do have an emergency in our hands."

"No worries, Chief. We got it from here. We're going to get Sergeant Hyuuga's family to safety and bring this scumbag to justice."

"I trust that you will, Sinbad. First Sergeant Hyuuga holds many extremely important files that can seriously compromise Konoha's safety and we cannot know what more this kidnapper will ask for. This is a delicate situation and I trust that you will handle it with as much discretion as possible."

The purple-haired man nodded curtly before turning to his team, who were standing behind him perfectly lined up, waiting for orders.

"Grab your gear. We're rolling."

XxxOxOxOxxX

"Alright, Sakura what do you have for me?"

"The Huyygas live uptown but their neighbors haven't seen them all day. The wife's mother has been calling since morning but there has been no answer and little Hinata was reported absent from school today. The little girl's blind."

Sinbad nodded. "Judal?"

"Alright. I traced the phone line Sergeant Hyuuga's assistant gave us to the KSJMB."

"KSJMB?" asked Naruto.

"Konoha and Suna Joint Military Base. Keep up with the acronyms, Uzumaki. First Sergeant Hyuuga is the one running the business there along with First Sergeant Sabaku, who is away at the moment."

"So, he can really transfer this kid of money overseas?"

"More if he needs to."

"Our hacker will have to pass five security check points to get to Hyuuga's office. Theoretically, those can only be opened by certain passwords that only those working at the base possess. There are 10.000 people working there right now. It is going to be impossible to trace the hacker by finding out who used those check points the past 4 hours." continued Judal.

Sinbad nodded. "By the time we finish downloading that list of names, Konoha will either be short two million dollars or the Sergeant's family will be dead."

"It has to be someone on the inside. That base is being protected by both Konoha and Suna forces." offered Sakura.

"Wait a minute." started Naruto thoughtfully and all heads turned to him. "The hacker could be using a virus. Sergeant Hyuuga said that his office is under electronic surveillance and that this guy has control of his computer. It only takes a simple virus or any other program of that kind to achieve."

"So, one of the most secure Military Bases was taken down by a simple virus?"

"It can be sent to a user in the simplest of forms. You could be just checking your inbox and unknowingly downloading the virus to your computer."

"What do you think this is Naruto?"

Well boss, my best bet would be a Trojan virus."

"A Tro-what?"

"A Trojan virus. Keep up with technological progress, Judal." Naruto smirked at that. "It is a program that once downloaded in a computer opens a gate and allows the hacker to take control of the system."

Sakura was thoughtful. "This still doesn't explain how his in control of the machine."

"They can do everything if they are good enough. We are talking about a guy that managed to break through a military base's system without setting off any alarm. Trust me, Sakura-chan. This guy is good."

"How is he able to watch the Sergeant?"

"A simple webcam can do the deed."

"Ok, listen up." All three of their heads turned to Sinbad.

The purple-haired man stood from his chair and pulled his gun out of his drawer, securing it on his belt. "Judal take Naruto and go search First Sergeant Hyuuga's house. I want everything on Hyuuga by the time I get back."

"On it, boss."

"Sakura, you are with me."

"Right. What will we be doing, Sinbad?"

"We are going to pay the Sergeant a visit."

 **TBC**

 **Guess who is back to writing NarutoXMagi Crossovers!**

 **How are you guys? Wow, it's been a while since I wrote anything for this fandom. I've been a bit busy with an Ao No ExorcistXNaruo Crossover I am writing but I've been wanting to write something about our favorite JudalXSakura pairing for a while now so…here it is! This story probably won't have more than 2-3 chapters but I might consider starting a series, though not immediately.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I promise I'll update quickly. Your reviews make me happy and fuel my desire to write so please READ AND REVIEW!**

 **Lots of love!**


	2. Chapter 2

Her heels clicked as she walked down the corridor, offering polite smiles to the people that saluted her. The military uniform hugged her form nicely and she was aware of the weight of the badges that indicated her position as a Staff Sergeant, even if it was pretend. Getting in had proved easy. No one asked questions once you flashed superior rank in their faces. No one had ever seen her around and yet no one seemed suspicious. People seemed more interested in staying out of trouble with their superiors than checking who came and went.

The uniform worked wonders with closed doors. She had even passed the third security check point without checking her password. People just assumed that since she had passed the other two and was wearing the uniform of a Konoha official, then she was no threat. Sakura was seriously starting to reconsider her opinion on this place's security. Perhaps she should make Sinbad suggest sending a note to the base to increase their security. She knew that it would annoy some of the higher-ups but she didn't care that much about ranks outside her team and she was sure that Judal would get a kick out of it.

She looked up and tensed when she saw she was almost at Sergeant Hyuuga's office. She stopped a couple of feet from the door to straighten her clothes, arrange the manila folders in her hands and check the microphone in her ear before gingerly knocking. She could swear that she heard voices coming from inside before First Sergeant Hyuuga allowed her entrance. She walked inside with a smile, though she was sure that the intensity of her gaze conveyed her message perfectly well.

"Good morning, sir." she said, her voice betraying not a sign of her slight nervousness.

"Good morning, Sergeant. How's it going out there?" First Sergeant Hiashi was an intimidating man. He sat perfectly straight and on edge, though that probably had do more with his situation than anything else. His grey eyes pierced her own and she knew that he understood. There was a thin line of sweat on his forehead and his eyebrows were set in a permanent frown. His gaze flew between her and his computer screen. The notion was extremely subtle but she had always been a particularly observant person and she immediately picked it up. They were been watched. The kidnapper probably couldn't see her since the webcam was turned towards Sergeant Hyuuga but she was sure without a shadow of a doubt that he could hear their every word.

"Same old, sir. I've come to deliver your mail and some forms that need filling and signing. First Sergeant Sabaku asked me to check up on you. See if you needed any help. He knows that paperwork is pilling up with all those training missions you got going on around here."

She approached his desk and scanned the surface. Apart from realizing that the First Sergeant was a neat freak, her eyes were immediately drawn to a glass case with a 9mm bullet inside it. _'Bingo.'_

"If I may, sir." she said taking the case in her hands and carefully placing the microscopic camera in the just the right angle. "I haven't seen one of these in quite a while."

"You wouldn't. They are no longer used in the military. This one I keep because of sentimental value. The first bullet I ever shot during a mission."

Sakura smiled pleasantly. "It is always good to remember the old times, where one came from, is it not?"

"It is indeed, Sergeant." His eyes flickered to his computer screen. Sakura understood. The hacker was getting impatient.

"Very well, Sergeant. Tell First Sergeant Sabaku that I appreciate his gesture but it won't be needed. I can manage."

Sakura nodded. "As you wish, sir. Should you need anything, I'd be more than willing to help you out."

"I'll keep that in mind. Good day, Sergeant."

"Have a good day, sir." The young woman saluted the man and swiftly turned around, taking her leave and making sure to close the door a bit more loudly than necessary to make sure that the hacker knew she had left. She hurried down the corridor and headed to the exit. She turned on the microphone placed her ear, checking out to see that she was alone. There was a great possibility that it was an inside job and there was no way to know whether the hacker was acting alone or if he had an accomplice.

"Sinbad, this is Sakura. Do you copy?" she kept her voice as low as possible and her posture relaxed, not wanting to make anyone suspicious.

"Loud and clear." answered his voice in her ear. "Everything alright?"

"Everything's set. I placed the camera and activated the mic on it. You should be able to have a pretty good view of Sergeant Hyuuga and hear everything that's going on in there."

"Go find Naruto and Judal at Sergeant Hyuuga's house. I'm heading back to KSID Headquarters right now."

"On it. We'll catch you there."

"Sakura?"

"Yes?"

"Good job."

The young woman grinned. "Thanks, boss."

XxxOxOxOxxX

"I can't believe you two! You both should be sent back to the Academy!" yelled Sakura in exasperation as they made their way inside KSID Headquarters.

"But Sakura-chaaaannn! It wasn't my fault. Blame the freak!" whined Naruto, pointing an accusing finger at Judar.

"Hey! Just because that computer of yours has fried the very few functioning brain cells you actually had, that doesn't mean I'm going to take the blame for your stupidity."

"Who are you calling stupid you…walking hair-extension commercial!"

Judal seemed scandalized. "Take that back! You never insult the hair! Never!"

"Shut up, both of you!" yelled Sakura, whacking them both on the head and cutting their argument short, not paying their audience any mind. All of their co-workers were aware of their….unique personalities and were hardly bothered by them. If anything, Sinbad's team was a constant source of amusement.

"Ow! That hurt Sakura-chan!"

"That's exactly the point baka!"

"This is abuse." said Judal dramatically. "I'm being abused in my workplace."

Sakura took a deep breath to calm her nerves and rubbed her eyes with her thumb and forefinger. "Stop this nonsense right now or so help me God, Tsunade is going to be performing yours autopsies tonight!"

That seemed to do the trick since they both stopped abruptly and shifted their eyes to her. Sakura knew for a fact that Naruto was scared of Tsunade-who just happened to be his aunt-and Judal had this irrational fear of the autopsy room. He had no problem examining a corpse or taking pictures while still at the crime scene but once it was moved down to autopsy, it was as if you asked him to pass through the Gates of Hell. He only went down when it was absolutely necessary or when Sinbad forced him to do so for the sake of an investigation. She knew that taking advantage of their fears and using them against them was a bit wrong but desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Ouch! That's hard even for your sadistic tendencies, Sakura."

The young woman stared at Judal incredulously. "Are you kidding me? You broke three of Sergeant Hyuuga's windows! Sinbad and Director Sarutobi are going to have our heads. The Agency doesn't have to clean up after each of you two idiots' messes."

"So, this is how it is." said Judal dramatically, shaking his head. "Great people and minds are not appreciated until they are out of the picture." Really, one would think that he was performing in an ancient Greek tragedy.

"Yeah! What Judal said!"

"You weren't included in the statement, Uzamaki."

"Hey! What the hell-"

"Cut it out, dumbasses." interrupted them Sakura before turning to look at the dark-haired man. "Trust me, Judal, the moment you finally are out of the picture, I'm going to throw the biggest party this side of the globe has ever seen."

"You know you love me."

"Don't bet on it."

"Are you finished?" All heads turned abruptly at the sound of the new voice.

"H-hey, boss!" greeted Naruto with an awkward grin on his lips while scratching the back of his head nervously. Sinbad was frowning at them and that was never a good sign. The man didn't return the greeting which made the team even more uneasy. Sinbad was seriously pissed at them.

"So, how's life guys?" asked the man with not an inch of humor on his face. "Everything good? Naruto? Judal? Sakura? Having fun? It's not like we have a kidnapping and blackmail case on our hands, right? I mean, there is no little eight-year old girl in danger, is there?"

They all hung their heads in shame. "Sorry boss." murmured Judal, the only brave enough to raise his head and look Sinbad in the eye.

The man continued to frown, though the lines between his eyebrows had noticeably softened. "Get your heads straight. The hours we waste are possibly hours taken away from that little girl's life. Concentrate on the case. At the moment, there is nothing more important." he scolded them, though his previously frighteningly cold tone of voice was gone. The purple-haired man sighed inwardly. Sometimes he felt like a father scolding his three ill-behaved children.

All three of them straightened up and Sinbad knew that he had been successful in getting them fully back on the case.

"Yes sir!" they chorused and Naruto even mock-saluted him. Sinbad hid a smile. Yeah, his team really was one of a kind.

"Good. Now, what did you find at the house?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary." started Judal. "The car was still in the garage and the lock of the door wasn't broken. We went through every room but there were no signs of struggle."

"So that means they probably knew their attacker." commented Sakura.

"Or, someone tricked them." added Judal.

"We'll look more into that. Now, Naruto I want you to put everything you got into hacking Sergeant Hyuuga's computer."

The blonde frowned. "I'm not sure if that is possible, boss. The code the kidnapper is using is so masterfully encrypted that I almost feel inadequate to even try breaking it."

The purple-haired man raised an eyebrow. "Is that defeat I'm detecting in your voice?"

"It's not like that, boss. It's just-"

"Has Uzumaki Naruto finally met his match?" wondered Judal while hiding a smirk.

"What? No-"

"It's ok Naruto." said Sakura and her voice was so understanding and sweet that she almost gagged herself. "We understand. One can only do so much before hitting a brick wall."

By now, there was already a vein pulsating on the blonde's temple and his teeth along with his fists were clenched tightly. He cracked his fingers and sat in front of his computer. His face was dead serious and they knew that they had succeeded in riling him up enough for him to regain confidence in his abilities. If there was one person that could hack into the Sergeant's computer without being detected, that person was definitely Naruto. As long as he believed in himself there was no firewall, encryption or classification that he couldn't breach.

Sinbad smiled at the sight of the blonde working vigorously on his computer and turned to the remaining members of his team. "Sakura, I want to know everything about any possible enemies Sergeant Hyuuga could have. Ask anyone you can get your hands on. Friends, family, coworkers. Find out if anyone has expressed resentment towards Hyuuga."

"Yes sir!"

"Judal, I want Sergeant Hyuuga's financial records on my desk A.S.A.P. Bank accounts, credit cards, money transfers, everything."

"On it, boss."

"Come on, team! Let's move it!"

XxxOxOxOxxX

"I got in!" Naruto's exclamation caught everyone's attention and within seconds his teammates were gathered around him, their assignments momentarily forgotten.

"Good job, Uzumaki." Sinbad praised him. "I want image and sound on the big screen right now."

"Done."

They all turned to the screen, now coming to life with the image of First Sergeant Hyuuga sitting behind his desk with his eyes flying around nervously. Sound was coming in crystal clear since they could hear the man's sharp intake of breath.

Sinbad put on the headphones and positioned the microphone close to his lips. "Sergeant Hyuuga, this is Special Agent Sinbad of KSID. Stay calm and do not be alarmed. We can see and hear you. If you can hear me, drink from the glass on your right."

The man took a careful sip from the glass.

"Good." continued Sinbad. "Now, we will be watching you from here. Make sure not to give any indication that we are communicating. Our computer specialist is working on tracking your family's kidnapper. Continue playing along and when the time comes do only as I say. If you understand, cross your hands on your desk."

The man did as he was told.

"Nice." He covered the microphone with his hand and turned to the female of his team. "Any luck with possible enemies or competitors?"

"Not that I can find. The relatives can't think of anything or anyone that would want to hurt them and from what I saw while looking over the family lawyer's records, there are no inheritance issues that could have given the incentive for a kidnapping. Friends say that the Hyuuga's are a quiet family that prefer to keep to themselves and greatly appreciate their privacy, especially with their blind daughter. As for his coworkers, they all said the same thing. Sergeant Hyuuga is a somewhat strict and cold man to have as your superior but he is clever, fair and well respected."

Sinbad frowned. "Witch takes us back to zero. We got nothing. No suspect, no motive."

"If only there was a way we could find the mother and daughter, then perhaps they could give us a description of their kidnapper." mused Naruto.

Judal rolled his eyes. "Great thinking, Uzumaki. How didn't we think about that before? How the hell are we going to trace them? We got nothing!"

"Hey!" protested the blonde. "There is no need to get your panties in a twist. I was just making an observation."

' _Trace them…..?'_ thought Sakura and suddenly her eyes widened as an idea formed in her mind. She turned to her dark-haired teammate. "Judal, check the mother's file. What does she do?"

"Um…She's a...doctor. A surgeon at the Konoha Hospital. Why are you asking?"

"That's it!" exclaimed Sakura excitedly. "Every surgeon has a pager. Today is a normal working day so Mrs. Hyuuga was probably getting ready to get to work. Surgeons never take their pagers off their person in case an emergency comes in and they are needed. Every pager transmits a signal. If we find the serial number of her pager then we can easily trace her to her current location."

Her teammates stared at her for a few seconds before smiles broke out on their faces.

"Good job, Sakura." said Sinbad proudly. "Call the Hospital and request any information they have on Mrs. Hyuuga's pager."

"On it."

"Naruto, get ready."

"Done, boss."

"Judal, I want a supporting team ready to go in ten minutes."

"Aye, captain." said the dark-haired man as he grabbed his gear.

A couple of minutes later, Sakura rushed to him with a paper the Hospital had sent not half a minute ago. "I got the number."

"Good. Naruto, run it."

"Running it right now, boss."

They waited anxiously as the screen of the computer was filled with letters and numbers that appeared to have no coherent sequence, though Naruto surely understood more than the rest of them did if the excited glint in his cerulean eyes was any indication. A high-pitched beeping of the machine let them know that the search had been successful and Sakura immediately scribed down the coordinates that appeared on the computer screen.

"Grab your gear." ordered Sinbad. "Let's go get this scumbag."

XxxOxOxOxxX

They left the cars a little further away from the abandoned warehouse just outside Konoha. Sinbad and his team took the lead and the supporting team took their positions around the building in case the kidnapper slipped past them. It was not a matter of this criminal escaping. It was a matter of catching him with no casualties.

They adhered their backs to the brick walls of the old building, guns ready in case the hacker had taken notice of them and decided to make a desperate exit. Sinbad went first and after making sure that the first floor was clear, motioned for his team to follow him. They split in pairs-Naruto and Sinbad to the left, Judal and Sakura to the right-and proceeded to search the almost-collapsed building.

It took them no more than fifteen minutes of careful searching to find both mother and daughter gagged and tied to a bed.

"Sinbad, Naruto! We found them!" shouted Sakura and she and her partner were soon joined by the rest of their team.

Their team leader took one look at the room and at his team already untying and soothing the unlucky victims before growling. "That bastard…..."

There was no one in the room other than them and there had never been. The whole kidnapping thing was nothing but a scam. Everything, down to the supposed hacker's voice, was computer-controlled and timed perfectly to give the impression of a living human being. The voice was nothing but a record that someone was pausing and resuming whenever they wanted to create the illusion of conversation between the kidnapper and the one managing the ransom.

Naruto was already tampering with the computer and judging by the expression on the blondes face, he had reached the same conclusion as his team leader. Sakura was soothing the little girl, who was crying in her embrace while Judal was talking to the shaken mother.

"Boss, this is…"

"I know, Naruto. I know."

XxxOxOxOxxX

Sergeant Hyuuga checked his watch before picking up a grey suitcase and walking out of his office. His inferiors saluted him and he nodded at them in acknowledgement but he avoided all conversations.

He descended the stairs calmly, his grey eyes trained on the exit of the building. He was almost there when a voice stopped him.

"Going somewhere, Sergeant?"

The man stopped dead in his step and turned to look at the purple-haired agent. "Special Agent Sinbad. I just got notified that you found my wife and daughter. I am on my way to pick them up."

"Are you now?" commented the younger man with a humorless chuckle. "Tell me, Sergeant, how much do you think your family is worth?"

"I don't know what you are talking about."

Sinbad was slowly walking around the man like a shark stalking his prey, ready to attack. The rest of his team were positioned around them. There was no escape. "Oh, I think you do. So, two million is enough for you? Two million for your wife's life? Two million for that little girl's life?"

"I still don't understand what you are getting at, Special Agent."

"You kidnapped them." Sinbad was ready to attack. "You kidnapped them and used programs and voice recorders that you controlled from your own computer in order to make it seem like someone else was committing the crime. You kidnapped your own family in order to play the role of the distressed husband and father. You were going to pay the money and your family would be returned to you. That's how you wanted it to play out. That's what you would say to the public. Only it wasn't just that." Sinbad knew that his team was closing in while he kept the Sergeant distracted from his surroundings and focused on him. "You wanted the money for yourself, that's why you set up this ploy. Just so you could satiate your own greed. Your put your family in danger for the sake of your own oversized ego."

Hyuuga was surprisingly composed, though a trained eye could easily see the beads of sweat forming on his temple. "I don't see any proof."

Sinbad chuckled. "Oh, trust me. I have everything I need to throw you in jail for the rest of your life. We found every piece of equipment you used and it is littered with you fingerprints and DNA. You did a lousy job of cleaning after yourself. You never expected to be caught, I'm sure."

Sinbad could see that the man was about to break. He had him cornered and he knew it. And that made him dangerous. A cornered human was no different than a cornered animal. It could lash out at any minute with no warning.

"So tell me, First Sergeant Hyuuga, how do you like a life behind bars?"

As if to confirm Sinbad's worst fears, the man reached inside his jacket and soon enough they were looking at each other down the barrel of a shiny gun. Screaming ensued as the civilians around them ran for cover at the sight of the pistol. Judal, Naruto and Sakura had their own guns drawn and were all aiming at the Sergeant.

"Drop your weapon!" shouted Judal, though the Sergeant paid him no mind.

"Did you really think I was going to go down that easily, Special Agent?"

"Oh, I'm sure that pulling a gun and killing a Federal Agent will greatly help your case in Court." retorted Sinbad calmly and his team marveled at how composed he was even in the face of grave danger.

"Spare me your sarcasm." The familiar click of the safety being drawn reached their ears.

Sinbad briefly glanced at his team.

"I don't see why you even try. You are a lost cause either way. What do you think a jury will thing about a man that put his family's safety in jeopardy for the sake of money?"

"That might be the case, Special Agent Sinbad, but there is one thing you don't know about me."

Suddenly suspicious and more than a little alarmed, Sinbad frowned warningly. "And what might that be?"

"I might lose a battle but I never admit defeat."

Everything happed so fast that nobody had the time to react as they normally would have. In a second, Sakura found herself staring at the silver barrel of Sergeant Hyuuga's gun. Time slowed around her and she could only watch in slow motion as his finger pulled the trigger.

"SAKURA!"

Among all the pandemonium that followed the sound of the gun, she registered someone's voice screaming her name, though in her frozen state she couldn't say whose it was. She closed her eyes, waiting for the unmistakable feeling of a bullet ripping through her chest. It never came. A drop of something liquid dropped on her cheek and made her eyes shot open. It took her a few seconds to realize what she was seeing.

Judal was standing above her, covering her with his body and starring down at her with worry-filled eyes, though there was also relief at seeing her unharmed. There was a thin line of blood dripping from his lips.

"S-Sakura…" He was breathing heavily and with difficulty. "A-are you o-ok?"

"I'm fine." she answered weakly. "Why did you do that Judal? Why?" she asked with tears gathering in her as her brain registered more and more of the situation as the seconds passed. His blood started soaking her clothes.

The young man smiled and she had never seen a more genuine smile on his face. "I n-never want to h-have to live through your death."

The woman's emerald eyes widened at his words and her arms hugged him tightly as he collapsed in her embrace. She could vaguely hear someone calling for an ambulance as she lowered both of them to the ground. Soon everything went dark around her and the only thing she could focus on was the man in her arms and the essence of his life slowly slipping away as his heartbeat weakened.

She stroke his hair and pressed a hand to the wound in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding. "N-No…Judal…..Please, don't go….Don't leave me."

There was no answer.

The woman let out an anguished wail. She buried her face in the crook of his neck and sobbed.

"JUDAL!"

XxxOxOxOxxX

For the first time in a week, Judal's eyes were flooded with light. He shut them immediately and waited a couple of minutes for his corneas to get used to the intensity of the light before reopening them. The sight that greeted him was an unexpected one, though one he rejoiced in. He took a lock of pink hair and twirled it in his finger, careful not to wake the sleeping owner.

He closed his eyes and allowed Sakura's even breathing to sooth him. She was sleeping in a chair beside his hospital bed with her head resting near his thigh and her hand curled around his own. Her skin was soft even though he knew that she handled guns regularly.

She stirred and he opened his eyes to see her raise her head to look at him. She appeared surprised to see him awake and she rubbed her eyes to make sure that her imagination wasn't playing tricks on her.

"Judal?" she wondered and her voice sounded coarse. He frowned slightly when he noticed that she looked paler than usual and there were dark circles under her beautiful eyes.

"Sakura….."

At the sound of his voice, her eyes filled with tears and she flung her arms around him, pulling him closer and sobbing into his shoulder. The young man brought his free arm around her and pulled her tightly against him, reveling in the feeling of holding her like that He couldn't help but think of how well she fit against him.

"Why did you do that?" she reprimanded him, almost desperately. "Why? You could have died….."

"I'm surprised you still ask that question. You should know why by now."

"No, I don't know! And I need you to explain to me. Why risk your life for me? Aren't you scared of death?"

"Oh, I am. I am afraid of death. But the thing is, I am much more terrified of your death than I am of mine."

The woman stared at him with wide eyes. "W-What…are you trying to say?"

Judal turned his eyes away. These kinds of things were difficult for him. Feelings really weren't his field of expertise but even he couldn't deny the way his heart was thundering in his chest for this woman.

He sighed. "It's kind of hard to explain….." he started. "The thing is…What I mean to say is….." He wanted to just bang his head on the wall. _'Get a grip you idiot! This is your chance! What kind of a man are you?'_

He took a deep breath. "Sakura, I-"

Her lips were soft and hesitant, as if she was afraid of scarring him away. Her taste made him lightheaded and it took him a couple of seconds to register that this was really happening. His eyelids slowly dropped and he raised his hand to cup her cheek, his thumb caressing her skin with the other hand secured around her waist. She tangled her fingers in his hair, careful not to put his wound under any form of strain, and allowed their lips to follow their own course, engaging in a sensual dance as if they had been made for that purpose from the very beginning.

They broke apart when the need for air became too great and rested their foreheads against each other's. Judal captured her lips again, unable to get enough of her.

"You know….." started Sakura between kisses. "Sinbad and Naruto are going to be here any minute now."

"Who cares?" answered the dark-haired man and pulled her tightly against him, savoring her lips with his own.

.

.

.

.

.

"Hey, Sakur-What the hell?! Get your hands off of Sakura-chan, you lecher!"

 **THE END**

 **Hey guys! So, one more two-shot is finished and I really hope you enjoyed it.**

 **So, a few words about the story. First of all, Zyura Kailaidrianina kudos to you for finding the resemblance with NCIS and for watching the series (You gotta love Gibbs** **). The thing is that this was inspired by real-life experience.**

 **Back in 2012, a Sergeant of the military in my country tried something similar to the events I am describing in the story. It was on a more regional scale than a national one but it was still defalcation of state money. He did set up his family's kidnapping and tried to walk out with a bank account filled with millions, though his kid was a deaf boy instead of a blind girl. The police caught him but not before he shot a police officer and sent her to the hospital with a serious lung injury and a concoction the woman acquired from the fall.**

 **This is a case we studied a semester ago in my criminology class. I, along with another three of my classmates, were lucky enough to be chosen to interview the man in jail. The fun part of the situation is that when asked how he came up with that particular plan, his answer was that he got the idea from a TV show. Needless to say that the man, apart from incredibly greedy, was also a sociopath. He showed no sign of remorse and appeared totally indifferent towards the people he hurt, even his own family.**

 **Anyway, next I'll be updating "Prayer in the Wind" and then I'll probably be posting a new MasrurXSakura one-shot or adding a couple of chapters to "Heart of a Warrior."**

 **Also, to those of you that keep asking about my NarutoXGameOfThrones Crossover, "The Affairs of Kings II." No, I have not abandoned this story and I will be updating soon enough. The thing is that this story is a slightly complicated one and I need to think things through. I intend to finish my other much less complicated stories and then focus my attention on "The Affairs of Kings II." I need to make some major decisions about that story but fear not, because that story will be finished."**

 **So, I hope you enjoyed this two-shot. Until next time, READ AND REVIEW!**

 **Lots of love!**


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